aerial view of cars on highway

Transportation Planning: Strategies for Working with Roadway Capacity

This course explains the menu of contemporary approaches to modifying or adding to transportation capacity. It provides examples of capacity responses to regional mobility for commuters and local accessibility for communities.

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Course Info

  • Duration 8 video lessons (63 Mins)
  • Published Published
    2019
  • 4.41
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Browse Course Chapters

  • Chapter Locked
    1.
    Introduction
    Chapter Duration 3 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    2.
    Understanding Roadway Networks
    Chapter Duration 6 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    3.
    The Supply-First Era
    Chapter Duration 12 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    4.
    Traffic Flow Efficiency Strategies
    Chapter Duration 9 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    5.
    Roadway Reallocation Strategies
    Chapter Duration 12 mins
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    6.
    Active Management of Curb Capacity
    Chapter Duration 10 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    7.
    Approaches to Adding or Subtracting Capacity
    Chapter Duration 5 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    8.
    Wrap-Up
    Chapter Duration 3 mins

What You Will Learn

  • Understand the criticisms of a “capacity-first” approach to transportation planning, and those conditions where a capacity response is justified.
  • Learn about capacity programs for regional mobility – rail transit, bus rapid transit, addition of high occupancy vehicle lanes, and new/widened freeways and arterial streets.
  • Learn about methods to increase the capacity of roads without widening them or building new ones – traffic flow management, computerized signals, roundabouts, etc.
  • Learn about capacity reallocation strategies to support mode change such as facilities like bus-only lanes, bicycle lanes, and sidewalk widenings.
  • Discover opportunities in active management of curb space given increased demand for TNC drop-off/pickups and deliveries.
  • Learn about methods of decreasing capacity, such as road diets, to achieve other objectives.

Course Description

Post-war transportation planning assumed that addressing a transportation problem requires added transportation capacity, usually in the form of roadways. Although travel demand management strategies have grown in importance, there are times when modifying or adding to capacity is appropriate, but the range of capacities has broadened to include mass transit and active transportation, in addition to roads.

This course explains the menu of contemporary approaches to modifying or adding to transportation capacity. It provides examples of capacity responses to regional mobility for commuters and local accessibility for communities.

Learn these skills

  • Land Use
  • Law and Policy
  • Parking
  • Pedestrian Planning
  • Transportation
  • Urban Design
  • Walkability

AICP CM

This course is approved for 1 AICP CM credit.

AIA CES

This is 1 LU.

CNU-A

This course is approved for 1 CNU-A credit.

SACPLAN CPD

This course is approved for 1 SACPLAN CPD point.

Meet Your Instructor

Richard Willson

Richard Willson

Richard Willson is a professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Dr. Willson's research addresses parking policy, climate change planning, land/use transportation relationships, travel demand management, and transit-oriented development.

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